Back binder or lock for fireproof doors



W. E. DILLON BACK BINDER OR LOCK FOR FIREPROOF DOORS Filed May 5. 1924 Patented Jan. 13, 192%.

ETE dTATES WILLIAM E. DILLON, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

BACK BINDER- OR; LOOK FOR FIREPROOF DOORS.

Application filed May 5,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W ILLIAM E. DILLON, a British subject, and resident of the city of Toronto, in the county of York and Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Back Binders or Locks for Fireproof Doors; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to a back binder or look that will prevent a fire door warping or buckling when subjected to intense heat and that will permit of the door being read ily opened and closed in a sliding direction.

According to this present invention the back binder consists of two principal parts, viz :a keeper and a latch mechanism.

The latch mechanism comprises a reciprocally movable hook-shaped latch for looking engagement with the keeper and resiliently compressible means for advancing the latch into a locking position and yieldingly resisting its retraction from the locking position and it also comprises means for guiding the reciprocation of the latch as it moves between its advanced and retracted positione.

In the preferred construction the latch mechanism is provided with a casing or housing within which is a bolt or stud hav ing a metal ferrule on which the latch reciprocates. This housing is formed with an open side and the stud is entered through that Wall of the housing opposed to the open side. The latch, substantially U- shaped, slides axially on the ferrule and the bolt or stud is adjustable for bringing the locking arm of the latch into correct engaging relation with the keeper. The external diameter of the ferrule corresponds with the internal diameter of the bore of the latch through which the stud and ferrule are entered for guiding the reciprocating movement of the latch and maintaining the latter in its correct locking position. Encircling the adjusting stud or bolt and engaging the latch is a resiliently compressible spring which advances the latch to the locking position and yieldingly resists its retraction.

1924. Serial No. 711.123.

to the latch for locking engagement therewith, and an inclined surface within the plane of the hook-shaped member for retracting the latch, when the parts separate, and for allowing it to advance to a locking position when the parts come together.

For an understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing the back binder with the latch mechanism and the keeper in looking engagement, and

Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1 with the parts separated.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the specification and drawings.

The back binder forming the subject-matter of this invention is particularly designed for fire proof doors which slide into and out of position with relation to the'doorway and the purpose of the invention is to prevent doors of this description from warping, as a result of the intense heat to which they are subjected, and thus prevent fire spreading to other parts of the build ing as it would otherwise do.

The present invention was successfully tested at the laboratories of the fire underwriters at Chicago, Illinois, and a door equipped with a back binder made according to this invention successfully resisted the buckling and warping strains when sub jected to heat approximating 17 00 F. Apparatus for preventing doors warping or buckling under this intense heat have previously been used but all known forms of devices for this purpose have been more or If less in the nature of fire traps which nnpeded and in some cases prevented the door being opened for the escape of the individuals from the burning building.

This invention has for its object a simple device by which a fire door can be locked against warping and buckling and will be free to slide into and out of position with relation to the doorway, thereby meeting the requirements: of the fire underwriters with respect to the fire resisting qualities of the door and at the same time preventing it becoming a fire trap for the individuals in the burning building.

Any usual or approved type of fire door 1, provided with any suitable track system. carriers and operating mechanism by which lUO it can be either. automatically or manually arm 13 is continually within the housing and is fOlll'lGClNVltll a hole or aperture 15," the diameter of which corresponds 'with the' the doorway 2 may be of any fire proof material; In the construction shown in the drawings the latch mechanism is built into the wall of the doorway 2 and the keeper is inserted into the material of the fire door 1, but this arrangement can be reversed and the keeper can be built into the doorway and the latch mechanism carried by the door. The latch mechanism comprises a housing or casing 3 having an open side 4. The closed side or sides of the casing are imbedded in the wall of the doorway and the open side 1 is exposed through said wall] That side 5 of the housing or casing, opposed to the open side 41, which may e for convenience termed the bottom, is formed with a screw-threaded aperture'or hole 6 through which is entered the screw-threaded shank 7 of a bolt or stud 8. The bolt or stud 8 is at right anglesto the bottom 5 and open side 1 and on the inner end of the bolt or stud 8 is a metal ferrule 10'which serves as a bearing for the latch. The latch. is of a substantially U-shape with two arms. 12 and 13 parallel with the bottom 5 and open side 4 and a connecting web or arm 14 uniting the arms 12 and 13. The arm 12 is the looking or engaging arm and moves into and out of the casing The other outer diameter of the ferrule 10 with suflicient clearance only for the free axial movement of the latch. Coiled on the bolt or stud 8 between the arm 13 and the bottom 5 is a resiliently compressible spring 16 which operates, to normally advance the latch to the engagingfor locking position and yieldingly resistsits retraction within the casing. *That end of the bolt inserted through the ferrule is screw-threaded and extends above the arm 13. Both ends of' the bolt areprovided with nuts 17" and 18 of which the nut 17 bears against the outer: side of the bottom 5 and secures the bolt" or 'studrigidly in position and the other nut 18 isthreaded on the opposite end of the bolt and bears upon the ferrule 10 and provides for the adjustment of the latch for bringingthe locking arm 12 into correct locking relation with the keeper. Mounted; on the outer surface of the arm 12 is an anti- 2 a distance slightly beyond the latch mech-' anism and the keeper is set in the fire door to engage the latch mechanism when the door is closed.

The keeper consists of a housing 21 hav- The fire doorl in its closed,

ing an open side exterior of the surface of the fire door and a keeper member 22 slight- 'ly within the plane of the outer edge of the .in which it engages with the inner surface of the keeper member 22, the distance between the keeper member 22 and the inner end of the inclined surface 23be1ng sufiicient to effect the disengagement of the anti-friction roller 19 from the inclined surface 23.

' In the closed position the keeper member 22" engages and grips the latch arm "12, and this engagement prevents the door warping or bucking from the wall under normal conditions and also when subjected -to intense heat. When the door is moving to an open position the inclined surface 23 engages the anti-friction roller 19 and retracts the latch arm 12 within the housing or casingv 3. The continued movement of the door to its open position disengagesthe inclined surface 23 from the roller 19 and the latter then comes into contact with the surface of the door wvhioh maintains the latch arm '12 in its retracted position until the door has'again outer end of the inclined surface 23 comes into contact with the roller 19 and the spring 16' pressing the latch outwardly causes the roller to follow'the inclination ofthe surface 23. until the latch is fully advanced to its locking position which occurs just prior to the keeper member 22 coming into line with the edge of the latch arm 12. When the. door is fully closed the latch arm 12 andkeeper member 22; are opposed to each other and in locking engagement. 1

' By means of this construction a locking mechanism or back binder isprovided for fire doors which normally holds thedoor against warping or buckling, and which offers no impediment to the opening and closing movements'of the door.

Having thus fully described invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. A back binder for-a fire door comprising a reciprocatinglymovable hook-shaped latch for locking engagement with a keeper, resiliently compressible means for advancing the latch into a locking position and yieldingly resisting its retraction; and means for guiding the reciprocating movements of the latch, said latch' being providedwith an anti-friction element'for 'en gagement with the surface that retracts the latch from the locking position. 1

2. A back binder for a fire door as claimed in claim 1 in which the keeper comprises a hook shaped member, oppositely arranged to the latch, for locking engagement therewith, and an inclined surface within the plane of the hook shaped member for retracting the latch when the parts separate and for allowing it to advance into a looking position when the parts come together.

3. A back binder for a fire door consisting of a keeper mechanism, and a latch mechanism comprising a casing having an open side, a bolt Or stud within the casing, a U-shaped latch member slidable on the bolt between a retracted, and an advanced, position, and a spring for advancing the latch into a locking position and yieldingly resisting its retraction.

4. A back binder for a fire door consisting of a keeper mechanism, and a latch mechanism comprising a casing having an open side, a bolt or stud within the casing, a U-shaped latch member slidable on the bolt between a retracted, and an advanced, position, a spring for advancing the latch into a locking position and yieidingly resisting its retraction, and an anti-friction roller journalled in bearings on the outer surface of the latch member.

5. A back binder for a fire door consisting of a keeper comprising a housing having a keeper member at one end thereof and an inclined surface extending inwardly from the other end into said housing, in combination with a latch mechanism comprising a casing having an open side, a bolt within the casing at right-angles to the open side, a substantially U-shaped latch member movable on said bolt between a retracted and advanced position, and a resiliently compressible spring coiled on said bolt and bearing against the latch member for moving it to an advanced position and yieldingly resisting its retraction.

6. A back binder for a fire door consisting of a keeper comprising a housing having a keeper member at one end thereof and an inclined surface extending inwardly from the other end into said housing, in combination with a latch mechanism comprising a casing having an open side, a bolt within the casing at right-angles to the open side, a substantially U-shaped latch member movable on said bolt between a retracted and an advanced position, a resiliently compressible spring coiled on said bolt and bearing against the latch member for moving it to its advanced position and yieldingly resisting its retraction, and a ferrule encircling the bolt for the movement of the latch mem- 7. A back binder for a fire door consisting of a keeper comprising a housing having a keeper member at one end thereof and an inclined surface extending inwardly from the other end into said housing, in combination with a latch mechanism comprising a casing having an open side, a bolt within the casing at right-angles to the open side, a substantially U-shaped latch member movable on said bolt between a retracted and an advanced position, a resiliently compressible spring coiled on said bolt and bearing against the latch member for moving it to its advanced position and yieldingly resisting its retraction, and an anti-friction roller journalled on the latch member.

Dated at the said city of Toronto, this 29th day of April, A. D. 1924.

WILLIAM E. DILLON.

Witnesses:

GHAs. H. RIoHEs, ROBERT MoGLINTooK. 

